MQC Preview: Brown University Round Robins

Author: Brandon Borges

Introduction

The Massachusetts Quadball Conference is about to have one of its larger Fall tournaments with a Round Robin at Brown University. Two pools are set to duke it out, and we are approaching the time of year when college teams are solidifying strategy, where younger players are starting to stand out from the crowd and where the viewing public of the Quadball world can see what teams will be worth come championship season, both for MQC and USQ. With two pools of teams ready to compete, prepare for contrasting identities, scintillating close games and maybe even an upset or two.

Pool 1 — Brandeis • Brown • Rutgers • Emerson
Pool 2 — Boston University • Vermont • Middlebury

(Note: There will be a cross-pool play game between Rutgers and Boston University)

Pool 1

Brown Bears

Brown came out of MQC Meet 1 battle-tested, a unit that was never overmatched, just a touch under-synced. However, on their home fields, they look ready to click. The backbone of the team is Karsten Assoua, who has grown into a true offensive engine: downhill burst, balance through contact, awareness and touch on passing and the strength to finish over and through hoop defenders. On top of this, the reigning MQC Seeker of the Year can flip a game on its head once the flag runner comes out.

Around him is a chaser corps who excel at various roles. Atman Shah brings straight-line speed and coverage defense that turn 50/50 balls into Brown interceptions. Jiangyong Yu has a quick trigger that can immediately punish hoop defender help with quick shots over them as well as driving around them for dunks. Finally, rookie Samuel Marcus adds a promising shooter/shot-blocker profile to Brown, while also having confident lasers from all areas of the field and the ability to erase looks at center hoop. The primary chaser plan is simple and effective: work the ball around with passes to manufacture a desired matchup, then drive through contact for dunks as hoop defenders rotate.

Brown’s beating is intentionally conservative: disciplined positioning, quick punishments of overextensions and selective shoot-outs, working to facilitate the chaser-first identity. The headlining duo of Jocelyn and Meredith Chang manage control with smart exchanges and timely pressure at the point; behind them, Grace Hong brings steady timing and Ananth Casius opens lanes for drivers. Add in Brown’s late-game card: Assoua’s seeking, part of a 14-game flag catch streak (official and unofficial) dating to last year’s MQC Division II Championship tournament, and you’ve got a team built to close. On home turf in this round robin, Brown owns a slight edge in every matchup. If they sweep the pool and tidy a few execution gaps, expect the buzz around this unit to get a lot louder.

Brandeis

Brandeis enters this round robin already tested for the season, this being their fourth tournament in five weeks. For a youth-heavy roster, those reps do wonders, and you can already see the returns. The beater corps, anchored by the reigning MQC Rookie of the Year Ryan Callaghan, has tightened the fundamentals and is starting to layer in proactive looks on offense. Rookie Unique Zhang might be the most plug-and-play newcomer so far, cleaning up loose dodgeballs after exchanges, jumping in for their own and popping up in the right lanes on both sides to keep possessions alive. Add steady minutes from Ethan Lido and you’ve got a unit that is starting to dictate the pace in games rather than respond to it.

The Swiss-army spark remains Matan Schwartz, whose week-to-week versatility has turned into genuine star utility: thunderous chaser finishes when Brandeis needs a bucket, then a quick swap to beater to patrol the hoops and jump passing lanes. Among the full-time chasers, Oren Weinstein has grown into the on-field organizer, often starting sets from behind hoops, calling cuts and punishing overhelp with quick swings or their own drives. Around them, sophomores like Jakub Prohaska and Golan Altman-Shafer are settling in: reads are faster, touches cleaner and they’re beginning to translate minutes into points.

Big picture, this is what Brandeis does: develop. The program’s track record of turning young talent into high-quality players is no accident, and this pool, full of similarly rebuilding squads, sets the stage for another step. If Callaghan and Schwartz continue to lower the difficulty for their young teammates while Zhang and the other rookies and sophomores keep trending up, Brandeis has a real shot to turn all that experience into wins, and to look increasingly dangerous by the spring semester.

Emerson

Emerson is rebuilding, but they can still steal games for one big reason: the chaser duo of Amiri Rivera Sillah and Ryan Leary. Rivera Sillah can do it all: shooting, driving, cutting, weaving and detonating fast breaks. His on-ball gravity forces opponents to warp their entire scheme toward him, which buys his teammates cleaner reads and time to develop. On defense he’s just as punishing, using speed and length to stonewall drivers one-on-one and flip stops into runouts and goals.

Leary plays the field general’s role: deliberate, organizing newer pieces like Emery Cosci into high-percentage spots and ready to punish soft coverage with a confident shot. The beater group, led by Megan Brown, keeps it simple and effective, forcing dodgeballs to the turf and giving the stars a sliver of daylight. In this regard, rookie Aris Peterson shows promise, jumping into exchanges from every angle. Add in rookie seeker Wilbur McGeown, who’s already pocketed a few pulls by getting low and slipping hands behind the flag, and the fact that this will be their fourth tournament in five weeks, and you’ve got a formula for a solid team. As the rookies catch up to the pace, the Rivera Sillah–Leary engine gives Emerson a real shot to snag wins and trend upward all season.

Rutgers

Rutgers arrived this season as the newest face in the MQC, and they’re already sending a message. Even in an unofficial debut October 11 at the Troy Invitational, they didn’t drop a game, knocking off both RPI and Brandeis behind a clean, purposeful brand of Quadball. The headline was rookie Tommy Nickles: nonstop motor, smart timing on cuts, poise in transition and a knack for turning deflections into instant points. When defenses shaded to him, he didn’t force it, finding space, moving the ball and finding another spot at the rim for a pass back. Two more rookies backed that surge: beater Will Tsai, who showed a feel for initiating tempo through chasing reset passes and beating in transition to assist fast breaks, and chaser Matthew Saintyl, a sturdy finisher who converts when the ball finds him close to hoops.

The operation already looks well run. On the field, Jalen Brooks orchestrates calmly, probing to find soft spots, hitting cutters in stride and cutting himself when help arrives. Off it, at the Troy Invitational, Manvi Kona was a conspicuous, steady voice, keeping rotations sharp, the sideline focused and the good play emphasized. Defensively, the chaser unit is stout: Frank Puchalski erases shots at the hoops while Q’Andre Small delivers thumping wraps that end drives. And when it’s time to flip the court, Nickles and Brooks are a problem, especially with beater leads from Justin Mok and Joe Colantuono, who boast some cannons for arms and a willingness to throw.

Their pool sets up a real opportunity. Another undefeated weekend is on the table if Nickles keeps ascending and the defense stays disciplined. The measuring-stick game is the showdown with hosts Brown; win that, and Rutgers jumps straight into the Northeast conversation, turning games against ranked USQ opponents into must-see matchups.

Pool 2

Boston University

Boston University rolls into this round robin squarely in the DI title hunt. Last year’s runners-up took a gut-check loss to a surging Harvard at Meet 1 and haven’t competed since, giving them a chance to reset on film. BU’s identity has typically centered on its dynamic chaser combo of Zachary Donofrio and Evan Sciarabba. However, with Donofrio not rostered for this tournament, the emphasis shifts to the other chasers supplementing Sciarabba’s power game that features through-contact finishes, vertical shot/dunk denial, and back-door timing that punishes help. In his stead, Aidan Hyer’s defensive work around the hoops and Zo Bonnier’s steady facilitation of the quadball become even more important, with rookie Jun Shin adding pace as a slashing wing finisher. BU indeed has the depth necessary to notch wins at this tournament without Donofrio, but against a team like Rutgers with a stout chaser defense and good finishers around the hoops, his absence will be felt to some degree.

At beater, BU has a unit of reliable veterans: Molly French sets the tone by winning exchanges and mixing up defenses by early beats on chasers, while Martin Meinart has upped their physicality through finding ample opportunity to try some wraps and ball strips on opposing beaters. Capping games, Henry Dinges has grown into a steady primary seeker, both comfortable with long shifts of active seeker play, and skilled enough to net a number of catches in MQC play this year.

To be clear, in this round robin BU look favored in every matchup they play in, even without Donofrio. Expect them to send a clear message about Northeast supremacy while tightening the few rough edges and locking in the cadence and strategy they’ll ride for a full Division I title push.

Middlebury

Middlebury enters the MQC round robin as a bit of a mystery box. The reigning USQ Division II champions have logged only one full run together (at the unstreamed Middlebury Classic), and this weekend they’ll do it without two headliners, Jason Wu and Katie Barbera. That shifts the center of gravity to Kate Petty, who becomes the on-ball metronome for a younger chaser corps. Petty’s value is in tempo and clarity: she flattens chaos, gets the set into its spacing and turns simple concepts into repeatable chances. Expect Middlebury to lean into its trademark pace-and-pressure identity, using patient first actions to draw help, then knifing at whatever space appears rather than forcing hero plays.

Behind that, the beater directive remains simple and effective: put dodgeballs on the floor and let the chasers cook. Veteran Danny Smith understands the assignment, and their example should free rookies to play proactive, not hesitant. The road back to a national stage is steep, and for Middlebury this weekend it includes a heavyweight in Boston University and an ascending Vermont. However, Middlebury has built a reputation on punching above its weight. The Panthers have the tools to turn tight games into track meets, and they’re never truly out of one until the final whistle.

Vermont (UVM)

Here comes Vermont’s first official slate of the year, with a chance to prove they have improved. UVM’s calling card remains their beater game: Abby Rainey and Max Remes read passes early, win exchanges without overextending and close space around the hoops so wings and backdoor cuts die on the catch. Add the burst from younger beaters learning the ropes, and UVM can flip defense to offense in a blink: one clean shoot-out, one loose ball scooped and suddenly it’s a fast break for UVM.

The key for this weekend is the execution in strategy of the chaser unit. Defensively, Vermont’s strength is near the hoops, but the team will have to disrupt offenses beyond the keeper zone if they wish to trap teams into forced looks at or behind the hoops. Up top, Jack Wright and Jack Fortin already win individual matchups; when they do it consistently, the drive-and-dish game to Kellie Brunner and Sky Thompson starts humming. Those quick-strike fast breaks off Rainey/Remes stops also take pressure off the set offense, letting Wright and Fortin be more deliberate in what they want to do with the ball in their hand: probe, pull a defender, then slip a pass to a cutter.

UVM played a solid game against BU at the MQC Opener, but the true barometer is Middlebury this weekend. Nail the early-possession execution, that being secure control, wall the middle and let the Jacks dictate on offense, and Vermont can stack quality Division II wins and become a miserable out for the heavy hitters later in the year.